Yesterday marked the 58th anniversary of the series premiere of Batman on ABC television. I never thought that the day would come when I would be still watching reruns of one, let alone two television shows that premiered nearly 60 years ago.
I wasn’t alive for this event. I would have to discover the series through reruns on channel 20 in Detroit during the 1970s and 1980s.
It’s hard for people today, to truly understand the impact that Batman 66 had upon American popular culture. Batman was the first fictional character whoever graced the cover of Life magazine. The show was, in many ways, like a firecracker. It exploded onto the scene, and faded, almost almost as quickly; having limped its way to a third and final season in 1968.
This September also marks the 50th anniversary of the premiere of the original Star Trek. Likewise, it is difficult to accurately much of the cultural impact that Star Trek has had not just on America, but on the world in general. And, like Batman, the original, Star Trek, or TOS, scuffled its way to three seasons. In fact, the show was only greenlit for a third season after a massive letter, writing campaign to NBC by devoted Star Trek fans.
I could sit here today, and write some dissertation about Batman as a counterculture icon; or about Star Trek’s impact on politics, equality, and space exploration. Instead, I find myself sitting here this morning, thinking about how these two very different shows are both very contradictory. Both TOS and Batman contained progressive, innovative, storytelling, ideas: TOS speaking to world events of its time through a science fiction setting. Batman was, for TV viewers, their introduction to camp – a deadpan comedic format that is ridiculous to adults, but comes across as dead serious to children.
It’s easy to look at both shows and laugh a little bit. They both contained scantily clad women who were more like gogo dancers than aliens or crime dolls. The bright, over exaggerated use of contrast and colors was very much a product of the new color TV era of the 1960s. After all, the networks wanted to make it pop!
Sure, Batman‘s pop culture references and his “state of the art crime, fighting technology“ seem quite dated now in 2024. However, the show’s campiness is as fresh as ever. Batman star, Adam West often referred to the show as “theater of the absurd” and we can see Batman‘s influences on movies like The Naked Gun!, and television programs like The Office.
On the other hand, Star Trek storytelling was so groundbreaking, so often imitated, that after nearly 60 years, it seems almost cliché. Today, there are so many other stories that have tried to be as progressive or forward thinking a Star Trek.
In a lot of ways, it’s probably like watching Boyz N The Hood the first time in 2024. Yes, when Boyz… came out in 1991, it was groundbreaking storytelling. In my opinion, it was really the first great “ inner city coming of age drama“ of my generation. But they’ve been so many copycats that have come along since; people have heard the story so many times, that Boyz… almost comes across as a little cliché today. Star Trek TOS falls into the very same trap. Some have done it better. Others have done it worse. Now, however, it’s almost more important to remember that Star Trek did it first. Context truly is King.
Another problem with watching TOS today is the same as any other television show movie made prior over 50 years ago: the acting. Back in the early days of television and movies, actors were trained for theater. They were trained to exaggerate their dialogue and make over exaggerated gestures with their arms and legs. The problem is that early creators of television and film didn’t realize the impact of a close-up shot. Actors continue to play their trade as if they were on a theater stage instead of a soundstage.
The same holds true for background music. Early TV and movie makers didn’t realize that viewers didn’t need deafening music to create a sense of emotion or suspense on screen Take this clip from Rebel Without a Cause for instance…
I’m going to get crucified for this, but while James Dean is a worldwide pop, culture icon, and the same holds true for Rebel…, this style of acting is more appropriate for theater than it is for a movie screen. To modern TV and movie audiences, it just comes across as corny. The same is true for TOS
Because of its tone, Batman 66, avoids this trap. It is supposed to be melodramatic. It is supposed to be hammy. The acting is supposed to be over the top. That’s the gag!
A few years back, I introduced Kid 2 to Batman 66, through the animated direct-to- video films Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders and Batman vs Two Face. He’s very much where I was at eight years old: he takes it all seriously. A few years from now, he’s going to laugh hysterically at these movies and I can’t wait!
For the rest of the day, as I sit, recover from snow shoveling as a result of this massive winter storm that is hit the eastern half of the United States, going to fire up Batman 66 on Tubi.
“Atomic batteries to power. Turbines to speed”
“Roger. Ready to move out“
Thanks for stopping by Rebuilding Rob. Be sure to like, comment and subscribe to my blog below. It’s greatly appreciated! Also, feel free to follow me on social media as well! Check out my most recent posts as well as some earlier related posts:
- Rob goes green
- The nicest, coldest drink ever
- Feeling Steve Jobs
- Rebuilding the spirit
- Rob Reviews: St. Elmo’s Fire, and the Power of Nostalgia
The article “Rob Reflects… As Two TV Icons Turn 58“ originally appeared on Rebuilding Rob
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